Pacific Rim: Jaeger Academy
by BlueroseSyn
Summary: Beth Valentine was chosen to attend Jaeger Academy, a school created by the world government to train new pilots. Here, she will experience more then she ever would have hoped for in her small hometown. But will her dream of becoming a pilot come true?
1. Chapter 1

h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 6pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My buzzing alarm clock wakes me up with a jolt, my mind kickstarting the day with a sudden burst of energy. I look at the red digital letters glowing in the darkness, the numerals showing seventeen hundred hours before I smack the top of the screeching box. It takes me a minute to figure out that it was five in the afternoon. After counting on my fingers, I realized I had only gotten three hours of sleep since the day before, having stayed awake for most of the flight here. I swear that I can never get used to military time. /span/h1  
h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 6pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I feel around for my lightswitch next to my bed, still cursing at the person who designed an academy underground. Seriously, who does that? I understand that it is one more layer of protection against the Kaiju, but we need some sort of normalcy around here. But then again, I rather live this chaotic military life then not have a chance to drive a Jaeger. To think that they would still be looking for pilots after they have closed the Rift. Maybe they know something we don't? I don't know, but whatever the case may be, I want to be one of the few to get to pilot one. The government launched a program in which able bodied individuals were required test to become a pilot. I still remember the day that I got my acceptance letter, my parents begging me not to go. But the chance at having me and my family set for life was too good to pass up. Not to mention that I would have jumped at the chance at driving a giant robot anyway. It was any otaku's dream./span/h1  
h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 6pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I quickly start to get dressed, not wanting to miss the first day of real training, slapping on some of my old work overalls since they have yet to give me a proper uniform set, but that is what happens when you are a last minute addition. Although I woke up with a start, my body still feels the jet lag from the other day, taking one glance in the mirror and noticing my short, brown hair was flattened on one side. I sigh and grab my favorite blue knitted cap that I made ages ago and jammed it on my head to hide my unruly hair. As I put my glasses I notice that there was a new scratch on my right lens. With one last glance in the mirror, I deem myself good enough and spin the valve that locked my door and took a step outside. I really start to feel out of place as I start to see the other academy students all dressed in black blazers and blue plaid pants or skirts. I see the academy symbol on the chest pocket of the blazer, an embroidered mini Jaeger standing before a large star with wings with silver thread. I see them stare at me as they continue to the auditorium, sticking close to the wall as I try not to attract any more attention then I already have./span/h1  
h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 6pt;"span style="font-weight: normal;" /span/h1  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"I sit down in the most middle seat of the middle row, becoming an odd blue speck in a sea of black. Many of the students seemed to know each other, making me feel even lonelier as I casually eavesdrop on conversations. I looked up at the stage, a holographic form of the Jaeger symbol now displayed for the entire student body to see. I fiddled with my hands until a tall man with blond hair and military uniform walked onto the stage, staring at the chatting audience./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"Without saying a word, the chatting began to stop, eyes now being drawn to the authoritative figure that now stood before them. The room then became silent, the man nodding before he spoke. "That is better." He said before he started to pace the stage. "Welcome to Jaeger Academy. I will tell all of you right now: Half of you will be sent home. Then the half that is left over will probably not be able to take the training. So if you have your hopes up to drive a Jaeger, don't bother. Your chances would be one in a hundred million. And I am not even counting the chances of you finding someone drift compatible with you." I give a soft groan with the rest of the collective, everyone else probably thinking the same thing I was. "You will be compensated for your time and efforts here even if you do not make it through this screening process." A cool, female voice now said, a woman with long black hair now walked onto the stage, standing next to the mettled man, "We do appreciate you coming here of your own accord and serving your country. Now, I am Joan Hope, Principle of this academy. And this frightening man next to me is Colonel Roy Hayes." The audience laughed as she gestured to the man who glared at her. "We do hope that you will have a pleasant stay here, not matter how far you come along in the learning process of piloting a Jaeger. For those of you who do not qualify to drive one, you have a chance to become an engineer for one. So, unlike my colleague here, you still have a chance to make a difference. No, you will be learning the inner workings of..."/span/p  
h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 6pt;"span style="font-weight: normal;" /span/h1  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"I feel myself start to nod off as she starts to get into the boring part of the assembly, my head starting to sway as the lack of sleep started to take hold of me again. I try my hardest to focus on her, feeling the edges of my vision become blurry. I decide to close my eyes for a moment, only enough to be able to focus again. But the next time I open my eyes, the audience was now filtering out of the auditorium and my head was resting on the lap of my neighbor. I quickly sit up, apologizing like crazy and bowing my head so he could not see my reddening face. "It's okay…" he said as I quickly stood up, tugging my hat down to cover more of my face and to keep me from seeing whatever disapproving expression he had on his. "Sorry again!" I said as I bolted to the aisle, zig-zagging between people and trying to get distance between me and the awkward situation I unwittingly created. Before I knew it, I had arrived back at my room, locking myself inside and letting my body fall back onto the bed, my mind not letting me go back to sleep as it replayed the last ten minutes I experienced over and over again for about three hours. /span/p 


	2. Chapter 2

I finally fell back asleep a few hours later, finally feeling refreshed when I got up at five the following morning. I did my usual morning stretches before getting dressed in my favorite running outfit, grabbing my watch and setting it an hour until class started. I liked running by myself. No one around you, just listening to your own breath and heartbeat. It was my morning ritual. And since today was the first day of instruction, I needed my wits about me. I did a few rounds around the dorm before I went back to my room to shower and get ready for class.

I kept pulling the hem of my skirt down, the unnatural breeze making me paranoid about my dress being flipped up. I carefully sit down at the desk in the back, not wanting to give anyone the chance to see my underwear. I watch as the other students walk in, chatting up a storm with the other recruits. I stay quiet, quickly getting bored with nothing to do. I ended up pulling out a sketchbook from out of my backpack, pulling the pencil from the spiraled spine and I started to draw. Today's sketch was another Jaeger, this time designed with a plasma rifle on either side of it's thighs. I quickly become absorbed in it, not noticing a guy with sun blond hair hovering over my shoulder as I drew. "Nice drawing you go there, sleeping beauty." he said right in my ear, my instinct kicking in. I wrapped my arm around his neck while the hand that held my pencil placed the end with the eraser on his adam's apple. "I would really appreciate it if you didn't sneak up on me like that." I said as I realized that I was in the classroom once again, quickly letting him go. The rest of the class stared at me, a single solitary clapping noise coming from the front of the classroom. "Well done... Ms. Valentine." said a short man with red hair with a matching beard and glasses, looking at a clipboard which I assumed had a picture with all of our faces on it.

He smiled in my direction, a blush quickly growing on my face as I looked down at my drawing again. "T-thank you…?" I softly said as I tried to sink into my seat. "I think everyone should learn from her. After all, the Kaiju are just as crafty! But that is not my area of expertise, fighting. We are here to learn of Kaiju anatomy. I am Professor Newton Geiszler. And I have got to tell you, I am going to be the best professor you will ever have..." He then rolled up his sleeves, revealing the many tattoos of Kaiju he had before going into detail of category one Kaiju.

I tried to listen to more of his lecture, but a note was flicked onto my desk with 'sleeping beauty' written on the outside. I looked in the direction of where it was thrown, seeing the blonde haired guy again. He winked at me, making me not want to read the note. I rolled my eyes as I moved the note onto my lap while I looked at Professor Geiszler, unfolding it as quietly as I could, waiting for the right moment to look at it. I took a quick glance as the professor's back was facing the class, seeing a series of numbers. I looked back at the blonde boy again, now gesturing what I guessed was a phone with his left hand. I crumpled the note up and left it on my desk, giving my attention back to the lecture, seeing his smile dull.

I stretched out my back as we were finally let out of the lecture a few hours later. Sitting still for so long made me want to practice fighting. As I walked out of the classroom, I noticed that Mr. sunshine was waiting for me. "So…?" he asked as he started to follow me. "So, what?" I replied back, slowly picking up the pace that I walked. "You going to add me on your phone or what?" "I don't have one." I quickly replied. It wasn't a lie. I really didn't have one. "You're kidding…" he stammered, weaving out of the narrow spaces that the other students allowed as they said hi to them as he passed and getting a hi back, doing my best to shake him off. "I don't even know who you are." I told him bluntly, checking my watch to make sure that I would arrive at the next class on time. "You don't know me?" he said in disbelief. "No, I don't. Although I am guessing you are the guy that I accidentally slept on, and I am sorry about that. So… with that aside..." I said as I tried to lose him in a throng of students, finally being successful. At least until I turned around. "You haven't heard of Jason Harley?" he asked as he spun me around. "No! Now can you please leave me alone?" I said as I smacked his hand off of my shoulder, now bolting down the hallway to get as much distance from him as possible, deciding to skip lunch instead of risking another run in with the golden haired idiot.

Thankfully the next class I had did not have that stupid Casanova and I was able to pay attention. It was taught by a man named Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. He was a bit twitchy and it seemed as if he had somewhere else better to be, but he did give a good lecture. I glanced at my schedule and noticed that basic training was next and I didn't know what quite to expect. So, I visited my room and dumped my backpack and all of my other materials on the bed as I started to change into the training uniform which was thankfully just a white tee and black shorts. My stomach was slowly eating itself since I didn't eat anything. I grabbed some crackers that I had from the day before and ate enough to silence my stomach. I decided to jog the way to the gym, the six straight hours of sitting getting to me.


End file.
